Hot Shots Golf 2

by Sony Computer Entertainment

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B00004SGBC
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #11,151 in Video Games (See Bestsellers in Video Games)

Product Description

Editorial Review
Video golf doesn't get any more casual (without being completely ludicrous) than Hot Shots Golf 2, an amusing mix of arcade-style gameplay and mostly realistic golf physics. Featuring six modes of play and seven courses, this offbeat sports title offers good single and multiplayer action for those who find the officially licensed golf titles a little too stiff.

The golfers in Hot Shots Golf 2 are a motley lineup of cartoon characters with varying abilities. In addition to unlocking playable characters in the single-player versus mode, golfers can win balls, clubs, and other prizes in tournament mode. These equipment upgrades help boost your skill level during subsequent golf rounds.

The 3-D graphics in Hot Shots Golf 2 are somewhat inconsistent. This game is littered with two-dimensional eyesores (such as the peanut gallery of onlookers) and sloppy animations (such as when golfers chase down balls). Equally spotty are the controls. The teeny-tiny swing meter makes your shot power hard to judge, and pulling off accurate or nonstraightforward shots with the game's control setup is much more difficult than it needs to be. --Joe Hon

Pros:

• Good mix of arcade-style play with mostly realistic golf physics
• 6 modes of play with lots of secrets to unlock
• Highlights can be stored and replayed

Cons:

• Inconsistent graphics and spotty controls

GameSpot Review
Until Hot Shots Golf came along, the world of video-game golf was split into two factions - gamers that preferred hard-core simulation-style golfing games, and those who wanted more of an unrealistic, arcade feel to their golfing experience. Hot Shots Golf successfully united both factions, giving sim fans the realistic golfing engine they desired but tossing in enough spice and simplicity to hold the interest of arcade fans. As the first game to follow in Hot Shot's footsteps, Hot Shots Golf 2 has some big shoes to fill. But not only does it fill those shoes, it also stretches them a little - as Hot Shots Golf 2 is more than a worthy successor to the original. From the get go, Hot Shots Golf 2 is easy to get into. You can simply launch yourself into a game, or you can explore the various menus, and you can even learn everything there is to know about the game with its detailed tutorial section. Once you feel like you've mastered the concepts of golfing Hot Shots style, you can choose one of six different games. There's a simple four-player stroke game, a par three nine-hole game, a two-player match play, and one-player tournament, training, and vs. modes. Beating the tournament mode unlocks new courses for you to play on, while the vs. mode lets you challenge one of the ten hidden characters to an 18-hole course of your choice. If you win the match, you'll unlock that character for play in all the other modes. Each character has his own strengths and weaknesses - from ball control to arc type - making a sizable difference between players' game styles. Like Hot Shots Golf, HSG2 uses an experience-points system - you gain a certain amount of points by playing in any game mode besides training. You can spend these points on unlocking various things in the game - from better equipment to secret modes. The gameplay is where Hot Shots Golf 2 really shines. Simply put, the golfing is spot-on. Everything that you would expect from a realistic golfing sim is here. Wind changes, ball spin, and the lie of your ball are all things to keep an eye on when planning your shot. When you can't read the wind by watching the clouds, you can toss up grass to help you judge from which direction and how hard the wind is blowing. Hot Shots Golf 2 lets you easily switch cameras, and it instantly lets you view the course from almost any camera angle - using a simple zoom-and-pan system that's incredibly easy to master. On top of that, with a single button press you can change to a bird's-eye view of the hole, letting you plan not only that one shot, but also a series of shots with ease. Hot Shots Golf 2 brings back the classic power/accuracy meter for hitting the ball - press the x button to start the meter, again to set the stroke's power, and once again to set the stroke's accuracy. While this tried-and-true method works well, it would have been nice to see HSG2 implement an analog-control scheme - similar to that in Tiger Woods 2000 - to let you choose the scheme you are most comfortable with. Additionally, you can set your ball spin while the power/accuracy meter is in motion, allowing more advanced players to do cool things like slice the ball around obstacles or land the ball softly once it hits the green. Now, the game automatically switches to an approach mode when you get closer than 60 yards to the hole, and it switches to a superapproach mode when you're closer than 30 yards. These modes help improve accuracy, making it that much easier to sink a chip shot. The graphics in HSG2 are slightly better than those of the original game. The courses are still beautifully laid out, and you can scroll back and forth with no slowdown or polygonal breakup. The camera work is nice, randomly changing to show the track of the ball in flight. This time around, the characters are much different - they have a more claylike look to them than the classic Camelot characters found in the first game. As such, the characters look very much out of place, with ridiculous animation sequences once they actually sink the shot. Not surprisingly, the sound in the game is very nice. Catchy pop tunes fill the audio track, while cool sound effects and ambient noises help you get a real feel for the course. When the wind is blowing particularly hard, you can hear it coming from the appropriate speaker. The only thing that keeps you from feeling like you're actually golfing is your inability to throw your club into a lake when you flub a particularly critical shot. Hot Shots Golf 2 has plenty of options for the single player, and it also excels at being a party game. Playing against the computer is always a mixed bag, as the computer-controlled characters never have a consistent game. It's not uncommon to watch your AI opponent score double and triple bogeys on two to three holes, only to have him suddenly sink a 100-yard shot to get an eagle. This inconsistency is most prevalent in the vs. mode, when you're playing to unlock a hidden character. The computer-controlled character will usually let you get ahead by three or four holes and then suddenly start playing amazingly well. In fact, there was one example where the character played an entire par fivehole in the rough, only to sink a 30-yard chip from a sand trap. You'd think that sort of skill would keep the player on the fairway, but apparently that's not the case. While Hot Shots Golf 2 isn't a huge step up from the original game, it's still a great example of how a sequel should be done - by making small but important revisions to the gameplay without sacrificing the formula that made the first game such a hit. Arcade-style golfing may not be a game that deserves a yearly update like most other sports games, but Hot Shots Golf 2 proves that the genre at least deserves more games like it.--Ben Stahl--Copyright © 1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great party game, January 16, 2001

By	Eric Johnson (North Carolina) - See all my reviews

I got this game because I wanted a game to play with my friends who don't play video games as much as I do. The learning curve is pretty good and it can take less than a round to get a good grip on the game, but much longer to master it. As you play against different opponents and beat them you are then able to play as them. Going through the tournament season opens up courses and doing well gives some cool prizes.

Controls are simple, but you can do a lot with them. Spin and terrain play a large role in this game and really add a lot. Still, the best thing about this game is that it doesn't take long to get the hang of, so novices can pick it up pretty quickly. Also, because of its cartoonish look, it's a blast when everyone is drunk!

Single player of multi, this game is a lot of fun.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the original?, March 15, 2000

By A Customer

The original Hot Shots Golf has to be my most played game EVER, and I've owned systems for every video game generation since Colecovision. The sequel, then, has some enormous shoes to fill. In the end, it does so quite nicely. For starters, it's slicker than the original, with better graphics, more realistic greens, fairways, and ball characteristics. There are a total of 7 courses and a pool of 13 (the game hints at a 14th) characters from which to choose, but much like the original you'll have to do some work to get them all open. You'll play VS mode to open up the characters, and you'll have to win tournaments to open up the courses. In between opening courses, you'll win other goodies such as new clubs, balls, announcers, and camera angles. Opening these new items is a welcome addition, adding a sense of accomplishment beyond just getting the best score. Hot Shots 2 keeps a wealth of statistics as well. Want to know what the average score on hole 7-course 4 is? No problem, it's in there. The game keeps track of average and best scores, greens in regulation, putts, etc. for each individual course, as well as overall. Oh, and the taunts make a return. Not only do each of the 4 main buttons spout out a taunt, so do each of the directional buttons. Some are funny, most are annoying... As far as how the game plays, Hot Shots veterans will likely find themselves a little out of sorts the first few rounds. It takes a while to get used to both the swing meter (hitting a perfect shot-100% with no slice or hook-is much more difficult), and putting. You'll find yourself not reading enough break, not giving enough extra on up hill putts, not taking enough off on downslopes, and generally missing many more putts. Still, it took me less than a week to get used to the nuances of the new Hot Shots, having already shot 12 under. Again, I had huge expectations for this game. Initially, I wasn't so sure they'd pulled it off. After spending some time with it, however, I must say it is a worthy sequel to the original. Still, only time will tell if it occupies as much of my game playing time as that beloved game...

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most played game yet!, July 12, 2000

By A Customer

Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This game is amazing! I can never play another game in my Playstation. This game has lots of cool characters (with the exception of Dottie, shes good but man is she ugly). Cool courses. Everally thing you want to know about your scores. I hope they make a Hot Shots Golf 3. This is just an overall great, awesome, cool, easy to start kind of game.